


i saw the morning lead a cavalcade

by mobula (manta)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Fire Emblem - Freeform, Fire Emblem: Heroes - Freeform, M/M, The AU aspect being where FE:H exists in the HQ!! world, primarily focuses on fe:h but has gratuitous references to the series throughout, what is time anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 13:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20675897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manta/pseuds/mobula
Summary: Facing his third year and captaincy of the Nekoma High Volleyball Club, Kenma grudgingly remains devoted—to his team, Kuroo, andFire Emblem: Heroes.





	i saw the morning lead a cavalcade

**Author's Note:**

  * For [strikinglight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strikinglight/gifts).

> another giftfic~
> 
> meg:
> 
> the first giftfic was one that i wrote in a few hours last night to throw you off of the scent of the shenanigans that were going on. but the samaramu's not just a decoy fic; it's a ship i would otherwise be too psyched out to write, but since i was writing for you, i still wanted to do my best to produce something else that you would like. samaramu was a foray into different voices and a different style, and i had a good time. 
> 
> now the jig's up and you have what's practically a novel-length book to show for it, you can probably surmise that i've spent most of my time tinkering away on _this_ fic—the one i've been referring to as "redacted!fic". this one's just a lot of silly fun that i hoped would be meg-core indulgent. ilu and i will always have milk tea and cookies waiting in our cave. <3
> 
> \---
> 
> ok! general notes now!
> 
> this fic is basically a black hole where the time-space continuum has collapsed and the mobage game fire emblem:heroes somehow exists in hq!! in the same timeline. it makes no chronological sense, but it was sure fun to think about and write!

A week after the game’s official launch, Kenma downloads the application after practice.

He usually has someone looking over at his screen as he browses; the team are familiar and annoying like that. But he’s forgotten today’s brown-nose is none other than the former captain, who rests his chin on Kenma’s shoulder to better see the sprites.

“_Fire Emblem: Heroes_?” asks Kuroo. “Is that based on the series? The one with a bunch of games that you’ve played?”

“Yeah, but different game company.” Kenma watches Kuroo lean back to take out his own phone, pull up the app store, and type the name in the search bar. “I thought you didn’t care for that kind of thing—strategy-based, time-consuming stuff.”

“Nah, it’s all fine. Just depends on who it’s with. You can add friends, right?” And Kuroo holds his own phone out to Kenma, grinning.

Kenma doesn’t mention that before Kuroo gets to the friending, he should get through the basic tutorial first. Or rather, the words are hard for Kenma to remember; his and Kuroo’s hands brush as he takes Kuroo’s phone, and his line of sight is drawn down to Kuroo’s warm fingers and the sweatpants that cling to his long legs.

Silently, Kenma opens the game, types his friend code in, and presses “Send.”

* * *

_“I felt trapped, trapped in a world where I hated everything._

_I hated it so much that I wanted it to just go away...all of it.”_

* * *

“I pulled a…” Shibayama squints at the screen. “Micaiah? Kenma, is she good?”

“She’s really good against certain unit types. Armors and cavalry.”

“Which ones are those?” Lev cuts in.

“Cavalry are the ones on horses. Armors are the slower ones who move one space at a time.”

“How about Lucina?” Teshiro wants to know. “I just summoned her!”

“Which Lucina?”

“Um…Lucina Lucina?”

“Okay, that sounds like original Lucina. She’s effective against dragons. All the users of Falchion swords are.”

“What about beasts, Kenma?” Inuoka pipes up. “Are those the same as dragons? It’s been a while since I last played _Awakening_!”

“No, they’re different. And in this game, the beasts only transform if they’re by themselves or next to other beasts or dragons.”

Harada, a first year wing spiker, raises his hand. “Captain—”

“Kenma.”

“Kenma-senpai—”

“_Kenma_.”

“Kenma-san is fine,” Lev stage whispers behind them.

“Kenma-san,” repeats Harada obediently, “what does this page do?”

“This lets you feed a unit’s skills to another unit. I wouldn’t do that until you’re more familiar with the game.”

Kenma doesn’t know what everyone else’s problem is. One day, it was just Kuroo (which is expected at this point, because when is Kuroo not involved in Kenma’s life in some capacity?), but somehow the whole _team _is sitting on the benches, asking him for build advice.

What’s worse, Kenma can’t even say he minds all that much.

Of course, he’d much rather be on the train on his way home by now. But maybe he’s gotten used to putting in longer hours as captain, because arriving a bit earlier and staying a bit later doesn’t take as much of a toll on him as it used to. Spending time with people who annoy him because they appreciate him and take a genuine interest in what he’s doing, is a big change from people who annoyed him because they punished him for not giving them the respect they felt they deserved.

(And it helps Kenma’s current team are an agreeable, hard working bunch who give him his space, though he won’t actually tell them that.)

Tora’s the only one who hasn’t downloaded the game yet. He and Fukunaga have taken it upon themselves to put everything away while Kenma’s bombarded with questions about the game by the rest of their teammates, while he tosses over questions of his own.

“I’ll be honest,” he says from where he’s rolling up the nets, not even needing to make an effort for his voice to carry across the gym, “I’ve never understood what _Fire Emblem_ is about. It’s a war game, but there are child soldiers? And you can marry people and have _more_ child soldiers? Also, dragon gods? And what’s a fire emblem, anyway?”

Lev props his chin in his hand. “Tora-san, _Fire Emblem_ is one of those games that you just don’t think too much about. Which should be easy for you!”

“You—!” Tora starts, but Lev cuts him off.

“It’s easy for me too! I mean, there’s some logic behind how all the games tie together, but you don’t have to know it to enjoy it.”

“And this game makes even less sense than the previous ones,” Shibayama adds. “It’s a bunch of characters from different series who meet up in one place. Maybe they were the lords of their games, or even the villains. But they can shed whatever reputation they once had, if they choose to. They’re starting over, and through working together for the sake of a new world, they put themselves together again.”

“Damn,” is all Tora says, though his eyes are shining.

The rest of the time thereafter is devoted to helping Tora link his new _Heroes_ account to his Nintendo one. When Kenma finally leaves, he’s so late that rush hour has passed and there are multiple free seats in his train carriage. He throws himself onto a space near the doors, opens the game, and collects the daily rewards.

One of his friends’ units, Beruka, slides in to greet him—chosen because Kenma himself had once mentioned how useful and obtainable she was. Right before Kenma’s eyes, that Beruka had been unlocked to five stars and set as a lead unit.

She soars in, swinging her axe, her wyvern’s fierce eyes aglow. She is an assassin—deadly to her enemies, but trusted by her colleagues to dependably carry out the tasks entrusted to her. Ignoring the other units populating the entrance hall, she addresses only Kenma.

“_I'm on a mission to deliver a critical message. Hello...from Kuro. Mission complete._”

* * *

_“But there are a few people I can trust...and so many voices calling to me in my dreams.”_

* * *

The new Brave Heroes banner arrives on a sweltering afternoon, with the rest of the team splashing in the ocean and Kenma firmly entrenched under the largest umbrella he could find.

When the sun dips lower in the sky, he’ll join them in the water. But for now, he’s content to stay in the shade, opening the app and pausing on the free summon screen.

He’s been keeping up with the updates and news. He knows he’ll choose the warrior priestess.

Kenma finished _Fire Emblem: Gaiden_ in a single rainy weekend in his first year at Nekoma—an impulse download when he was bored, with no practice or other games to fill up his time. He enjoyed Celica’s demeanor and character, as a princess who loved her people but wasn’t afraid to fight with book or blade for the sake of peace.

Her costume redesign was a surprise in _Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia_, but not a bad one. Hidari has a beautiful, matter-of-fact style in the way he draws his characters; Celica’s new outfit, catered more to her warrior side rather than her priestess one, emphasizes a different part of her—the one dedicated to being unafraid to lead by example.

Kenma knew _Echoes_ would have full voice acting, but nothing would quite prepare him for the moment when Celica spoke her first line. He felt a bit silly, pausing to take a breath. But it truly was like a character coming to life—like meeting a friend you had only previously waved to through a shop window as you walked by.

Celica, leading her band of misfits into the unknown, with only her faith in her beliefs to guide them. Tora, Lev, and Inuoka have the foolhardiness, and Shibayama and Harada have the hope for a quest like that. But despite what the forums say about Celica’s decisions, Kenma can understand how draining it is to do something so prolonged as declaring war, and to desire an alternative that avoids the effort and costs. Pixels the characters may all be, but their worlds are real to them, with heavy costs. An idealist though Celica may be, the grave choice of sending others to shoulder the consequences for her decisions is not lost on her.

Kuroo was there when Kenma played both games, of course. Somewhere in the background, whether sprawled on a cushion reading on the floor, or propped up next to him to watch on the bed, but always there.

To Kenma, the appeal makes sense. Celica, brave princess, drawn in her _Gaiden_ outfit by Hidari and voiced by Touyama Nao, notable skills being Death Blow 4 and Double Lion.

By this point, most of Nekoma have stopped keeping up with _Fire Emblem: Heroes_. Kenma doesn’t begrudge them for it. In fact, it’s what he expected at this point; the game isn’t exactly the thrilling sort that keeps people with shorter attention spans interested, nor is it one for the more studious team members who prefer to spend their time elsewhere.

Kuroo’s the only one who still logs in every day. He’s familiar enough with the game that he’s stopped asking Kenma for help with skills and isn’t hardcore enough to crunch the numbers like Kenma unless he’s really in the mood, but he still occasionally asks Kenma to compare and discuss their builds.

Kuroo’s class ends at five. Kenma passes the time when Hinata calls, having seen the ads for the new heroes and asking questions that he knew that Kenma would know.

He’s just helped Hinata pull his free Brave Hector and sent him off on his Askr journey, when the time comes. Kenma sends a text.

Naturally, Kuroo was also there when Kenma finished _Echoes_, at eleven o’clock on a Friday night.

“Done,” Kenma had said into the silence, curling his socked feet against Kuroo’s calf to get his attention.

Kuroo’s back was to him, voice slightly muffled from hugging Kenma’s pillow, his nose buried in a book. “With the dragon?”

“No. All of it.”

“Hm? Oh, wow.” And then, Kuroo turned around to face him, all the better to search Kenma’s face and take in his expression. “How do you feel? You were really focused the last few chapters.”

Kenma didn’t know how to answer. After their completion, games usually left Kenma disorientated for a while. It was always strange, returning to reality after hours of living in another world.

But _Echoes_’s ending felt particularly incomplete. Celica married Alm and their kingdoms were united, but at what price? A crown upon her head, a mantle upon her shoulders, a title upon her name, and all eyes upon her, but with no means to navigate the tempest within her that was the result of learning the limits of Mila’s divine power and her own once-burning belief.

Kenma couldn’t begrudge anyone who wanted to be alone sometimes—he knew he certainly did—but she was always alone, and not necessarily because she wanted to be. She enjoyed being around her loved ones, while at the same time wanting her own distance, and didn’t know how to reconcile the two while connecting to others in the way she wanted.

And then, what of reconciling Zofia and Rigel—two nations with their own histories and entirely different life philosophies, with the latter’s king being a boy who grew up in the former? Saint King Alm was a nice title, but Celica went without one, when she surely worked as tirelessly on behalf of her kingdom as he did.

It didn’t feel like an ending at all. Kenma wanted to know more, wanted to know what became of Celica and everyone else, and hated to depart Valentia with so many questions.

But Kuroo saved him from answering. “You really didn’t want to leave, huh?” he asked, his voice soft.

When Kenma shook his head, the words escaping him, he had been gently taken into Kuroo’s embrace.

Now, Kenma types a brief message.

_who did you pick_

It only takes a moment.

Kuroo just replies with a screenshot of his own summoned red orb and a “Duh.”

* * *

_“There are people like you—you're nice to me. You're very gentle, and you even pat me on the head.”_

* * *

The Adrift banner arrived with little fanfare, in the midst of Kenma checking his email.

As much as Kenma liked the gameplay of _Fire Emblem: Conquest_, he prefers the plotlines of other games. The series just doesn’t compel him the way, say, Micaiah’s plotline interested him in _Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn_.

He used his free summon, didn’t get any of the focus units, and resumed typing away, a little put out.

Three days later, as the sun’s about to set, a message pops up. Kuroo’s finally back at his apartment.

_Is that Azura for the Tempest Trials reward?_

_yes. young azura_, answers Kenma.

_Do you like her? Is she good? Should I build her?_

Kenma had speedrun through the Trials to obtain Young Azura. He had been so focused on obtaining her that her level 40 confession had taken him doubly aback, with how much it sounded like his younger self.

He doesn’t want to tell Kuroo yet. Worse yet, Kuroo might even have the same thought once he obtains Azura as well. For all the condescension regarding _Heroes_ as simply being a mobage without the extensive lore of the series, there’s something in the way it unexpectedly takes the hidden parts of players and brings them to light through heroes’ quotes such a blasé manner. It’s disconcerting and comforting all at once.

Kenma taps his finger to his chin, and answers.

_what do you think_

_I think I will. _A pause. _She’s cute and frowny, like someone I know. A bit lonely, too._

_im not lonely. anymore_, Kenma adds the last word.

_Yeah, but she is. And she looks like she could use some company._

Kenma huffs.

_shes not real kuro_

_So? Didn’t you tell me the point of effective storytelling was to garner sympathy through connecting to us through our own experiences?_

Kuroo has a point. Kenma hates it, and changes the subject before he’s forced to concede. _spd/res bond makes her really tanky if you put her next to an ally and she can be built offensively too_

_Okay. What are you up to tonight? _And then, _I just pulled my first Eirika. Do you know anything about her?_

Eirika’s one of the lords Kenma’s only gotten to know through playing Heroes alone. Maybe it’s time he tries the game she’s from.

_im playing another one of those fire emblem games_

_Which one?_

_it’s called the sacred stones, the one with eirika in it. i heard the lords are good and the storyline’s solid_

There’s an order to the _Fire Emblem_ series, chronologically speaking. Earlier than two years ago, Kenma the game purist would have played them all in sequence.

But he’s since learned the hypocrisy of what constitutes an arbitrary hierarchical order and bowing to social whims, and now he plays the games when and how he likes. The when gets questionable, especially when Kenma’s mother is highly displeased to find him still hunched in front of his Nintendo DS at 3 a.m. But as for how...well, Kenma’s balked even more against convention since then.

(And if Kenma’s partly playing _The Sacred Stones_, now, so he can properly answer Kuroo—well, no one has to know.)

Kuroo’s response takes a while, but he always replies eventually.

_Sorry, I was making dinner. Can I watch you play?_

Kenma frowns.

_dont you have exams_

_Yeah, but having this on in the background is nice. It’s almost like we’re in the same room. Like old times._

Kenma snorts. He doesn’t answer, but calls Kuroo on video chat and hits the screenshare button as he boots up the game. It_ has_ been a while since they’ve done anything equivalent to hanging out, what with Kuroo having graduated.

As Kenma nudges Eirika and L’Arachel, and Syrene and Tana, and muttering to himself even more fiercely than usual thanks to the permadeath classic mode, he hears the turning of pages and the scribbling of notes on the other end, along with an intermittent sigh.

Kuroo’s not in the room. But for some reason, Kenma can almost feel golden eyes on him—just brief, uninvasive glances to check up on his progress. An occasional smile, fond and hidden, accompanied by the briefest press of lips on the back of Kenma’s neck. He continues playing, suddenly overheated despite the cold weather.

_Hard?, _Kuroo asks later, during a study break. Night has fallen; rain pounds on the windows, and Kenma can’t see beyond the droplets that cover the glass.

Kenma considers the question and finds to his surprise that, for all the headaches the game is giving him, it’s a challenge he wants to conquer.

_takes some thought. but could be worse_

_Hm, _says Kuroo, accompanied with a cat emoji. And then: _I missed this._

Kenma resumes his muttering. He’s glad that Kuroo can only hear his slightly accelerated train of thought, and not see his flushed cheeks.

* * *

_“Maybe...maybe I should spend a little longer here.”_

* * *

“Kenma!”

No doubt it was Kenma’s pudding head that gave him away. But just as Kuroo’s joyfully loped his way through the crowded train station, Kenma turns to catch his approach, ducking out of his reach just in time.

“Aw, Kenma!” Kuroo complains, going in and missing for a second time. “It’s been so long. Not even just one hug?”

“Not here,” Kenma mumbles, stalking away and forcing Kuroo to follow him out. They walk, side by side, until they both turn into the gyoza shop they used to frequent throughout high school.

The shop owner crows in delight at seeing Kuroo and, after exchanging hearty greetings, gives them their usual stall, removed from the bustle and quiet enough for Kenma’s liking. Kenma lets Kuroo place one hand gently on the small of his back, guiding him into his seat.

“How are things?” Kuroo wants to know once they’re settled. “Are Tora and Fukunaga making the transition easier?”

“Yes,” says Kenma, startled at how firmly he can say so.

He expected more bickering among the three of them. But while they’ve had their disagreements, Kenma’s confirmation is still true; Fukunaga’s proven adept at handling all the paperwork, given he can make anything that seems deeply boring interesting if he tries, and Tora handles all the confrontations and interactions that Kenma would rather avoid. The second years, for their part, are eager to guide their new kouhai with advice and occasionally misguided bravado.

Everything’s slotted into place so soon after the previous third years’ departure. Kenma knew it wouldn’t take very long for the new arrangements to work out, considering he organized them himself. But a part of him wishes it didn’t take _quite_ so short a time, because it means Kuroo and the other third years’ influence vanishes all the faster.

“Everything’s going according to plan,” says Kuroo. “Or rather, _your_ plan. Speaking of which, I cleared the Abyssal Fallen Takumi map using the strats you gave me. Worked like a charm, of course. May I say you’re perfect in every way? Lacking a bit in the cooking department, but we can work on that.”

Kenma groans, letting himself slump onto the table. “Do you have to be like this? I don’t need to be praised like this, you know.”

“Of course. But I want to be like this, because you should be reminded of those things from time to time. And you know I treasure you, Kenma.”

Kenma turns away to avoid all of that blinding sincerity. “How do I reply to you when you say those things, then? It makes things uncomfortable if you’re saying stuff and I don’t want to say it.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I can just look at you and know things, sometimes. We’ve known each other long enough we can do that, can’t we?”

“What things?” Kenma grumbles. “What do you know about me?” Their food arrives, but he doesn’t touch it; this is a more pressing matter, and Kuroo knows him too well to know when he’s pretending not to be interested, anyway.

Kuroo’s head tilts to one side as he surveys Kenma, his lips curling upward as he hands Kenma a pair of chopsticks. “I know you picked this place because it’s convenient for me, but it’s out of the way for you. I know you wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see you. And I know you missed me.” His smile blooms into a full grin. “I think that’s plenty enough to go on.”

Kenma doesn’t respond, because Kuroo’s a pain. And anyway, aren’t those things a given?

Kenma thinks Kuroo’s reaching for his phone. That is, until Kuroo’s hand pauses to lightly rest on top of Kenma’s.

The air conditioner’s turned on full blast, and Kuroo’s warm to the touch.

Kenma lets him stay there.

* * *

_“I don't know what's going to happen next..."_

* * *

“...Harada, work with Tora next time on your spike timing. It’s coming along, but it needs work. And Shibayama, we’ve got to do something about the way you tense up before high spikes. I don’t like them either, but they make you too easy to read.” Kenma closes his notebook. “But that’s all for now. We’ll work on those things, starting next practice.”

He’s dying for some water.

“Today’s the day, right, Kenma-san?” says Lev, of all people to remember the date.

Fukunaga puts a hand on Kenma’s back—and pushes. “Go,” is all he says. Shibayama and Inuoka have already started tossing the volleyballs back in the cart.

“Are you sure?” asks Kenma, taken aback.

“Get outta here!” yells Tora, laughing.

Kenma’s just arrived home when midnight ticks over Pacific Standard Time. Barely inside, he checks to ensure his mother’s not home, and then flings himself at the sofa.

Kenma’s had _Fire Emblem_: _Three Houses_ preordered for months. Or rather, Kuroo beat him to it and did it for him.

The _Fire Emblem Heroes_ banner precedes the game’s official release by four days. Naturally, Kenma’s saved up 800 orbs for this. Specifically, Kenma’s saved up 800 orbs for Edelgard.

Just from their profiles alone, Kenma was immediately drawn to her. They share a love for tactics and strategies. Besides, Kenma’s in the mood to play a bruiser and Edelgard’s ideal, with her penchant for fighting solo and her melee-based style. She has ambition, drive, and principles—perfect for a lord and none of which he has, while being playable from the comforts of wherever he perches with his phone. It’s excellent.

Unfortunately, the RNG gods are in a dark mood today. Sure, Kenma pulls some good units (Leanne, Elincia, and the Deirdre he’s wanted for ages), and units to merge (Reyson, Myrrh, and Flying Nino), as well as a Lewyn with perfect IVs.

But he uses every last orb, only to be repeatedly pitybroken with no Edelgard in sight. He juts out his bottom lip, blowing his bangs upward in frustration.

He knows he has more chances; the banner’s only started, and so has the Forging Bonds event with its summoning tickets. But maybe it’s Kenma’s exhaustion speaking, or his excitement at pulling Edelgard. Either way, he did exactly what he cautioned everyone he dragged into gacha against doing: he _hoped_.

Kenma’s phone rings.

Kuroo’s speaking over the bustle of the Shinjuku crowds, and Kenma can visualize him smirking through the phone. “Guess who I got for my free summon?”

“What?” Kenma’s mouth falls open. “_No_.”

“Yes!” Kuroo crows. “First orb!”

Kenma has spent _two years _of his life on this game, and _this_ is how it rewards him? All of Kenma’s ire towards mobage and gacha luck—fair or not—tumbles out. “You pest. You looter. You _thief_.”

“A thief?” Kuroo laughs so hard he nearly coughs up a lung. “Of what, exactly?”

“My luck!” Kenma knows he’s being petulant, but Kuroo won’t hold it against him.

Sure enough, once Kuroo calms down enough, he says, “Excuse you, I’ve done no such thing. Unless,” and Kuroo’s voice changes from fond to self-congratulatory, “what I’ve stolen is something very special to you—difficult to obtain, difficult to keep, but worth every bit of effort. Then I’ll proudly proclaim my guilt to any judge.”

Kenma should have seen it coming. He feels horror in the pit of his stomach, the disappointment of not pulling Edelgard instantly forgotten. “Don’t say it, Kuro. _Don’t_. You’re awful. Terrible!”

“Sorry, Kenma,” says Kuroo, completely unapologetic. “I gotta say it, and you and I both know it. Prepare yourself.”

Kenma knows he’s powerless to stop Kuroo at peak obnoxiousness. And yet, he tries anyway, voice rising in his apartment, uncaring that he’s risking his neighbors’ wrath. “No, no, no, NO, _NO, NO_—”

Frantic and furious, he still can’t drown out Kuroo’s smug voice. “Seems I’ve stolen your heart, Kenma.”

Kenma shrieks, and hangs up.

* * *

_“But if I'm with you, maybe things will be OK. I feel like I can keep going.”_

* * *

“Still annoyed?”

“A little.”

Kuroo chuckles, hand propping up his chin. “Well, I guess I did ask for it.”

They’re in the living room, polishing off fresh apple pie from Kenma’s favorite bakery by way of Kuroo’s apology. It had taken some coaxing from Kuroo when Kenma had spied just _who _was on his doorstep, but he’d finally opened the door to let Kuroo in.

“How about I pull, the next time you summon? To return that luck I stole from you.” On the other side of the sofa, Kuroo shoots him a grin—the one Kenma keeps saying reminds him of a demon, but also gets his heart racing in a way he doesn’t want to think too much about.

Kenma relents. “Fine,” he says, handing his phone over. “But just one summon.”

Kuroo types in Kenma’s passcode. Precisely when he’d learned it is up for debate, though Kenma knows he’d given up changing it at least three years ago, when he realized Kuroo would eventually know it anyway. As Fjorm solemnly announces, “_Fire Emblem: Heroes_!” with the opening screen, Kuroo peers at him through messy bangs. “Any last words?”

Kenma reaches out to push his hair to the side. “You need a haircut. And if you pull a three star Merric, I’ll be _really_ mad.”

Too used to the litany of Kenma’s threats he’d experienced over the years, Kuroo just laughs. “Really, now? I’ll be careful, then.”

But, seized by a sudden urge, Kenma tugs on his sleeve to make sure he’s listening. “No,” he says. “I mean, it’s fine. I’ll be fine. Whoever you pull.”

“Hm?” Kuroo blinks at him in surprise. But he recovers quickly, and then he’s dramatically wiping away pretend tears. “So you _do_ love me. I knew you cared about me!”

“Before you go any further, let me remind you the door’s right there,” Kenma warns him.

“Okay, okay. I’ll be good.” Kuroo begins the summoning session, moving closer on the sofa so Kenma can see as well. “Just one green orb, and four red ones. Want anyone else?”

“Not now. Just Edelgard.”

Kenma doesn’t say that Claude reminds him strongly of Kuroo, but perhaps that’s something Kuroo himself will realize in time, too.

They watch the summoning animation. The different colored orbs spin and then meet at the middle of the stone. A circle of dust blasts out, eliminating at least a portion of the summoning pool.

“Hm,” says Kuroo. “Well, there go your dreams of a three star Merric.”

Kenma rolls his eyes. “Maybe I’ll get a four star Merric, then.” He’s determined not to get his hopes up.

The screen whites out—then clears to reveal a figure, followed by the satisfying, weighted sounds of a five star summon.

“_I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, heir apparent of the Adrestian Empire. I will follow you, but I bow to no one.”_

Kenma stares at the screen in disbelief. Gacha indeed does what it wants, but it’s never done _exactly_ what he wanted. Kuroo’s luck is so good, it’s almost filthy.

“Huh,” says Kuroo, unperturbed by this development. “What do you know? You’re my good luck charm, Kenma.”

Kenma groans, burying his head in his sleeve. But Kuroo leans over to comb through his hair. “It’s true,” he insists, in his utterly sentimental and shamelessly Kuroo way. “I’ve always felt that. I didn’t know how university would go, with us separated. But I had a feeling.”

“A feeling that what?” Kenma asks, muffled into his arm, despite himself.

He can hear the smile in Kuroo’s voice. “That we’ll be fine.”

Kenma rolls his eyes. Uncurling from his ball, he turns to slump anew, this time on Kuroo. “Of course we will,” he mumbles. “You sap.”

Kuroo’s on his own phone now, prodding various heroes in his entrance hall. Kenma turns to watch the visitor who’s just arrived; it’s his own Young Azura.

_“I was asked to come greet you by applepi. Are you mean, or are you nice?”_

“I’m nice,” says Kuroo, to his screen. “I’m always this nice.”

“Do you really talk to all of them like this?”

“Nah. Just yours.”

Kenma blinks. Settled on Kuroo’s reassuring weight, his eyelids are growing heavy. “You’re silly, Kuro.”

He thinks Kuroo will fire back with another sappy line. But Kuroo just laughs again, and Kenma realizes how much he missed the sound. “You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

All previous ire forgotten, Kenma’s ready to nod off. Just as his eyes close, he’s vaguely aware of Kuroo’s arm curling around his shoulders, Kuroo’s voice murmuring that he’ll stay the night, and then tomorrow he’ll be on his way, and life will go back to the way it’s been.

**Author's Note:**

> together, the lines interspersed throughout make up young azura's maxed confession. 
> 
> thanks for reading!


End file.
